The Gift
by SingerMe
Summary: Just a little something for Christmas.


**The Gift**

I don't own these characters. I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

AN: This little one shot is for Snowgirl01 who contacted me asking for a story about Amanda and Lee and even gave me a large portion of the idea/plot for this. Thank you, Snowgirl01. I'm afraid this may not be as long as you were wanting and maybe not as good. But I promise to try harder next time.

Merry Christmas!

 **L &AL&AL&AL&AL&AL&AL&A**

Lee sat morosely at his desk, trying to concentrate on the case report in front of him but having very little success at it. His thoughts kept going to Amanda. HIS Amanda. Since before they had married, they had formed a bond like no other.

They were completely in sync with one another. That bond had served them well as partners in work as well as marriage and seen them through the hardest of times.

If it hadn't of been for that bond, they might not have survived the fallout from both home and work when their marriage was finally made public. But they had survived and were doing well now in both arenas. At least, they had been. But now… now something was up. Lee could feel it but he had no idea what it was.

All he knew was that Amanda suddenly started distancing herself from him and even the kids and her mother. Lee had tried to talk to her. He'd begged and then practically demanded her to tell him what the matter was. Had he done something to hurt her? Had someone else? Were there problems at work? Though Billy had managed to keep them together, working in the Q Bureau, perhaps someone else had upset her?

But Amanda would only say that no one had hurt her and she needed time alone. With a full case load and no desire to argue with her about it any longer, Lee kept his silence as Amanda spent increasing amounts of time alone. But now he wished he hadn't. Now he wished he'd refused to quit until she told him just exactly what was wrong.

"Lee?"

Lee looked up to see Francine at his door, a concerned look on her face. "Something wrong?"

"Um hum." She nodded as she walked on into the Q Bureau office. "Couple of things as a matter of fact."

Lee frowned. "Oh? And what are they?"

"One is you." She arched a blonde brow at him. "You've been moping around this place like a lost puppy. I know you and Amanda are having trouble but..."

"I never said that." Lee answered hotly. "We're not having trouble we're just…" He took a deep breath. "Well, Amanda just decided she needed some time alone for some reason. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong though. I just hope whatever it is, she'll work it out enough to be able to tell me about it or at least realize she needs to let me help her with it."

"Lee." Francine shook her head with a soft sigh. "I'm usually the last one to say this but it's true nevertheless. Amanda is a smart woman and a strong one. Now if she tells you that she needs to work something out on her own, you need to trust that."

Lee ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know you're right, I just…"

"You feel helpless because you've always been the one to take care of things and you love her." Francine added. "But if you really love her, Lee, you'll trust her to be able to take care of herself."

Lee nodded. "Guess you're right. It's just so damn hard."

"I know it is. And I know you want to go to her, which is the other reason I came in here. It may just be time for you to find her."

"What do you mean?" His head snapped up, frown creasing his forehead.

Francine walked further into the office laying a file folder on his desk. "These reports came in and I thought you just might want to look at them. As you know, Amanda was up for her routine physical last week, along with a bunch of other agents and when Billy saw the reports, he told me that maybe you ought to see them.

Oh?" Lee quirked a brow. "Since when does Billy want me to look at the medical reports of other agents?"

"Just open the cover and read it." Francine advised him.

Lee flipped open the folder and looked down at the report inside. "Oh, my God!" He gasped after reading the contents, not once but twice. "Francine, this… I… I've got to find Amanda."

"I know." Francine answered smartly. "But you won't have to look too far. I assigned one of the interns to keep an eye on her. She's at the Washington Mall."

"Thanks." He nodded gratefully as he grabbed his jacket and took off from the office as though on fire.

Francine shook her head as she watched him go, closed the door to Q Bureau and left.

Amanda stood quietly by the Lincoln Monument staring at the former president. It was late in the year, just a week from Christmas, and most of the tourists had returned to wherever they had come from. As a result, the place was practically empty of the teeming mass of people often found there in the summer. She liked it that way. It was easier to think.

"Morning!"

Amanda looked up to see a bearded older man with a heavy overcoat looking intently at her. "Uh, good morning." She tried to infuse her greeting with her usual exuberance but couldn't quite manage it.

"Kinda cold today." The older man said as he continued to watch her.

"Yes, I guess it is." Amanda answered as her gaze returned to the statue.

The man stood silently beside her and looked around as well. He sensed a sadness about this woman, a sense of worry about something. He decided to stay with her for a time. "You live around here?"

She shook her head without looking at him. "No. My husband and I are a… we work here in Washington but we…" She stopped and took a breath. "I just... I like it here."

"Good place to think." The man smiled.

Amanda nodded in agreement but didn't return the smile. Though she knew the man was beside her, she didn't take that sharp a notice of him. Something far greater than a stranger standing beside her occupied her thoughts.

Most people, seeing that the woman wasn't willing to engage in conversation and seemed more interested in solitude than company, would have bid his adieus and left. But this man remained rooted to her side, saying nothing and gazing, as she was, at the monument before them. This woman needed something, he was certain, and he was prepared to help her get it.

The older gentleman managed to get Amanda to sit down on a nearby bench and was now sitting stoically beside her. She'd said little to him and he hadn't pressed her but he did all he could to make her comfortable enough to talk to him when she was ready.

"It's peaceful here." Amanda sighed, not really speaking to anyone.

"Yes, it is." The man agreed. "This time of year especially. Folks going home for Christmas and such. Bet you have a good Christmas each year." He slid that last bit in and watched her process his words.

Amanda nodded. "Yes. Ever since I met Lee, we've had sort of strange Christmas's but they were always good." Part of Amanda wondered why the old man continued to sit with her and why he wanted to know such things about her. That same part even wondered if perhaps he was an enemy of hers or Lee's or the country in general and was simply biding his time until he could…. Well, until he could do something bad to her. What that might be, she had no idea.

But another part of Amanda, the part that she usually kept subdued these days, accepted him at face value as a kind old man who was concerned for her welfare and wanted to help her. And for some reason, she couldn't fathom, she wanted him to stay right there with her.

"This Lee your husband?"

"Yes." Amanda answered.

The old man nodded. "He know you're here?"

Amanda shrugged then dropped her head. "He knows I'm not home. He doesn't know exactly where I am though. I… I had… I needed to think to..."

"Figure out what to tell him and how." It wasn't a question and the old man wasn't distressed to turn and see Amanda softly crying as she continued to look down.

"How do I tell my husband that… that I have cancer? That they'll have to take my br…" She let out a sigh of grief. "He… he won't want me and I…"

"Who says?" The old man asked. "I gather from your words that you've told him nothing." He continued when Amanda nodded. "Then how do you know how he'll feel about this? About you because of this? For that matter, how do you know that is what will happen to you?"

Amanda lightly shrugged. "I got a report on it." She said sadly. "It said that breast cancer was confirmed and that they were recommending an immediate mastectomy."

"And you are certain this will happen to you?" He asked.

Amanda nodded sadly. "It was in the report."

"Well, my dear, I don't know about your report, but I do know that sometimes such things as that can be wrong. It could very well be a false report and perhaps not your report at all.

Amanda shook her head. "No, it was delivered to me. It was mine. I know I should've said something to Lee about it. But I… I just couldn't. The only thing I could think about was to get away for a little bit so I could deal with this and I guess… well, I guess I could deal with this if…"

"You didn't have to think about your husband." He finished her sentence knowingly. "Are you so certain that he would feel differently about you should this be true?"

Amanda considered the question as she thought of Lee. The man she'd first met, the brash egotistical and womanizing super-agent might have but the Lee she'd come to love and whom she knew loved her….. Amanda sighed. She didn't think he would but then again, he'd never had to face something like this before.

Amanda sniffled, trying hard to hold back more tears. "I… I don't know." She finally admitted. "Lee is a good man but I don't know if he would want me if…"

"I will always want you, Amanda."

Amanda jumped as though she was shot and quickly she turned to see Lee standing there behind her. "Lee?!" She jumped up and ran to him, practically falling into his arms. "How… I mean, why… Oh, Lee. I am so sorry. I… I didn't know what to say or to do and I… I know you love me but Lee this is… it's so… Lee, please don't… I mean, if you can see your way clear to…"

"Amanda." Lee didn't raise his voice but it stopped her rambling never the less. "Honey, it's okay." Amanda trembled but stood still as Lee gently pulled her closer. "Come on, let's sit down."

Amanda numbly nodded and walked with him back to the bench she'd been sitting on, forgetting the old man who had been sitting with her and was now gone. "I'm sorry, Lee." She whispered. "I should have talked to you about this instead of pushing you away but…"

"Yes, you should have." Lee agreed. "But it doesn't matter. I'm here now and I have some news for you."

"I already know, Lee." Amanda sniffled again. "I got the report before the other day. That's why I came here. It came in quicker than I expected and was worse than I expected and I just…" She stopped again willing herself not to dissolve into tears. "Lee, I'm…"

"You're going to be just fine, Amanda." Lee kissed her on the forehead. "I know about the report you got." He nodded when she looked up, eyes wide. "But it wasn't your report."

"What?" Amanda shook her head, disbelieving. "Lee, it was delivered to me and…"

"And it wasn't yours." He repeated. "Amanda, the report you got was on Mandy Kang, you remember her, the young agent that was recently hired?"

Amanda searched her memory and finally remembered the young dark haired girl that was so friendly. "I… I remember her but, Lee…"

"The report you got was hers and she got yours." Lee sighed. "Sad thing is, neither one of you were supposed to get those reports at all. They were supposed to be delivered to Medical not the individual agents." He nodded when he saw the shocked expression on her face. "That's right. The test results weren't supposed to be delivered to either of you at all. But someone in the lab apparently didn't know what they were doing. I stopped by Doc's on the way out of the Agency and spoke to him and got everything straightened out. Amanda, you do not have breast cancer."

Amanda blinked, and then blinked again. "I don't? You're sure?" She was almost afraid to hope.

"I'm sure." He smiled broadly. "There is absolutely nothing like that wrong with you."

"Oh LEE!" She squealed and launched herself tightly into his arms. "Oh, Lee, I was so worried. I couldn't think of what to do and I… I just… well, I had to leave the house. I know, I know, I shouldn't have but I just couldn't… well, you know, how it is, I just had to get away and… Oh! Lee! Mandy! How awful for her. Lee, if I read her report then…"

"Amanda."

"she has cancer. Lee, that's terrible. Oh, I wish I could do…"

"Amanda, honey…"

"something for her. Lee, we need…"

"Amanda." Lee had to raise his voice and inject a slight edge into to get her attention but finally she stopped.

"What?"

"Honey, her report wasn't right. I stopped by Medical before I came here and from what I found out, the lab screwed up a lot of reports and sent out false results to a lot of people. It apparently had something to do with the new computer system they got in. I was told that there are only about 4 or 5 agents whose results have been verified and Mandy wasn't one of them."

"You mean she might not have cancer either?" Amanda wished hard for that to be true and was rewarded with a smile and nod from Lee.

"Yes. The chances are she has nothing at all wrong with her. So I don't want you to worry about her. Okay?"

Smiling through happy tears, Amanda nodded and hugged Lee again. "Oh, Lee, I'm so happy that report wasn't true for either of us. I… I don't know what I would've done."

"You would've told me and let me help you deal with it." Lee said flatly. "Honey, no matter what comes or goes, we're in this together. No matter what happens to either of us. Okay?"

Amanda dropped her head and nodded. "Okay."

"Good." Lee grinned. "Because I have something else to tell you."

"What?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Well, remember me saying that there were only four or five agents whose results were verified?"

Amanda nodded, not sure where Lee was going with this.

"Well, it seems you were one of those agents." Lee watched her intently as he spoke, his smile still in place.

Instantly, Amanda's smile disappeared. "Oh no, Lee! Is it worse than cancer? Do you mean I'm…"

"I mean you're pregnant, Amanda." He answered her.

Amanda's expression went from worried to confused to excited all within the space of a few seconds and when the news worked it's way through her, she again flung her arms around him. "I am?" She asked. "Oh, I am!" She cried as Lee hugged her tightly. "Oh, Lee, that's the most… it's just…" She suddenly stopped and pulled back, looking up earnestly in Lee's face. "Lee, are you… I mean do you… is it…"

"Amanda, I couldn't be happier." He chuckled as she once again flung herself into his embrace. When she finally let go of him, Lee looked down at her softly. "Now are you ready to go home?"

Amanda nodded and happily got up from the bench, arms linked happily with Lee's.

As they walked off, a little old man stood over to the side of the monument, watching them with a broad smile on his cherubic face. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pipe and stuck it into his mouth, glancing skyward as he did so.

"Well, looks like she's going to be just fine." He said, as he lit his pipe and took a puff. "Yes, sir; looks like she's going to be just fine." With a sigh, he bent down, picked up a burlap bag and flung it over his shoulder. "Well, guess I'd better be on my way. It's the week before Christmas, ya know. And I have a lot of things to get done."

Taking a few steps, he stopped again and looked at the couple as they continued walking away. Once again, he raised his eyes skyward. "Ya know? I think you did a mighty fine job putting those two together. Yes, Sir. A mighty fine job."

Strolling to the car, neither of them saw the little old man walk to the side of the monument and disappear. Though Lee had not seen the man, Amanda had. But for some reason, she didn't remember him. Right then, the only man on Amanda's mind was the tall man beside her who she loved with all her heart and was soon to share the ultimate gift with.

The End


End file.
